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- From: mimir@hardy.u.washington.edu (Al Billings)
- Subject: Re: Crowley and Gardner (was re: pentagrams)
- Message-ID: <1992Dec24.192318.16155@u.washington.edu>
- Sender: news@u.washington.edu (USENET News System)
- Organization: The Friends of Loki Society
- References: <JOSHUA.92Dec24014950@bailey.cpac.washington.edu> <1hcec3INNhgi@cat.cis.Brown.EDU> <72355@cup.portal.com>
- Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 19:23:18 GMT
- Lines: 54
-
- As a local Gardnerian, I thought I would answer a few of these questions...
-
- In article <72355@cup.portal.com> Tagi@cup.portal.com (Thyagi Morgoth NagaSiva) writes:
- >9212.24 e.v.
- >
- >What, exactly, is this 'Toronto manuscript'? What relationship does
- > it have to Gardner's _Book of Shadows_?
-
- As was stated in Robert's article, the manuscript in Toronto is the
- oldest known copy of Gardner's BOS.
-
- >How important is the Toronto manuscript to Gardnerian practice and the
- > Gardnerian tradition generally?
-
- Well, since it is the earliest one, all later revisions are baed on it.
- Gardnerians don't go around talking about the "mystical Toronto
- manuscript" if that is what you mean. Are BOSs are made available to us
- from our intiators when we are initiated. Mine isn't from Toronto by any
- means.
-
- >In other words, how much influence have the writings he copied from
- > Crowley's works had in the history of Witchcraft?
-
- Crowley's works (and those of others) have been fairly influential.
- Gardnerian Wicca, no matter what some people like to believe, is the basis
- for 99% of modern Wicca. Anything tha affected it affects the rest of the
- traditions. Those few traditions (and they are REAL few) that don't seem
- to be Gardnerian based have still been heavily influenced by Gardner's work.
-
- >Response:
- >
- >When you say 'modern Witchcraft', what are you talking about?
- >JUST Gardnerianism and its offshoots? Or other sects as well?
- >Would you say that the entirety comes under the category of 'Wicca'?
-
- Almost all traditions of Wicca are offshoots of Gardnerianism, either
- through published books which people used to start practising or through
- people leaving traditions and creating their own. As I said above, there
- are very few (I won't say none however) traditions that don't come from
- Gardnerianism and even these are heavily influenced.
-
- >Response:
- >
- >Is there information available about either of these individuals in
- >published sources? What can you tell us of their histories and
- >interests aside from the qualifications you've already mentioned?
-
- Look at _Witchcraft for Tomorrow_ by Doreen Valiente. It is that book, I
- believe (it could be another), that has the story of her trying to track
- down who "Old Dorothy" was.
-
- Wassail,
- G.G.
-
-